Turn Down That IPod

The mass adoption of personal digital music players may be the harbinger of widespread hearing problems.

According to The Scotsman, iPods and other digital music players could be a threat to one's hearing.

Volume controls can exceed 100 decibels in playback, and that isn't healthy to the human ear over long periods of time. Music players can have battery lives of up to 12 hours in length.

A member of the Royal National Institute for the Deaf, Lisa McDonald, said: "Most people are listening to their iPods on public transport to drown out the noise of traffic, but to do this they turn them up to quite dangerous levels."

For people to avoid tinnitus and other hearing ailments, they must turn down the volume to a more reasonable listening level. Damaged hearing is usually irreversible in effect.

The RNID has promoted a campaign called "Don't Lose the Music" since 2003. It is aimed at educating people as to the dangers of prolonged exposure to loud music.